More than 25,000 Ukrainians are officially employed in Lithuania

The Lithuanian Employment Service reports that currently, 25,600 Ukrainians are working in the country under formal employment contracts. Over the past year and a half, they have filled job vacancies in professions where there is a significant shortage of workers. This information was reported by Delfi.

The companies in Lithuania that have employed the most Ukrainian citizens without state support include PKC Group, Manvesta, Elixus, Rimi Lietuva, AQ Wiring Systems, Biovela - Utenos Mesa, Premier Restaurants, Costo, Marino grupė, Baltic Transline Transport.

According to experts, the integration of Ukrainians into the labour market is helping to solve the problem of staff shortage. "It buffers the unmet demand for labour, especially in the sectors of accommodation and food services, manufacturing, construction, wholesale and retail trade," said Brigita Blavaščiūnienė, advisor at the Employment Service's Measures Implementation Division.

Measures to accelerate the integration of Ukrainians into the labour market include employment arrangements: in the case of subsidised employment, the employer's wages are compensated by the state.

"This targeted support connects employers and employees - when updating or acquiring skills at specific workplaces, people adapt more quickly, and companies find employees faster," emphasised Ms Blavaščiūnienė.

Currently, of the 9,900 vacancies registered on the Employment Service platform, employers would accept Ukrainians for 2,600 positions, she added.

Since the start of the Russian war in Ukraine, Ukrainians employed in Lithuania have paid more than 58 million euros in taxes to the country's budget, with over 13 million contributed in January and February of this year alone, according to the Lithuanian Ministry of Social Security and Labour.

It's noted that the majority of Ukrainians (68%) work in jobs requiring medium-level qualifications: as customer service specialists, salespeople, construction workers, metal processing specialists, electromechanical and electrical equipment mechanics, stationary equipment and machine operators, drivers.

Approximately 24% of Ukrainians work in low-skilled and unskilled jobs, such as office and hotel cleaners, chef's assistants, packers, agricultural and forestry workers, food preparation workers, and labourers.

Ukrainians' wages range from the minimum wage to nearly 2,000 euros per month, depending on the nature of the work. On average, a Ukrainian working in Lithuania earned about 1,132 euros "on paper" in March this year.